Resident Evil

Review by Clint Morris

Insert Disk. Select Multi-Players. Press Play and Hold on to your joystick. At least that's what many a game devotee will be clinging to when discovering much loved video game Resident Evil has got the feature film treatment.

These days' video games are almost mini-movies in themselves, so it's not like a film version wouldn't have been mulled over - but with the genre clocking up over 10 years worth of video game inspired films do we really need another?

Maybe someone should go check in on Mr Hollywood Producer. Maybe he is set on autopilot.

A cross between Aliens and Return of the Living Dead, Resident Evil is an hour and a half of troops vs. zombies in a full-on future war, hence, 'leave your brain at the door' folks.

Milla Jovovich (The Fifth Element) stars as Alice, a woman who may or may not have something to do with the deadly infectivity of a military research plant called the Hive - a secretive bioengineering research facility controlled by a mega-conglomerate, the Umbrella Corporation.

She doesn't even know the truth herself, as her memory returns in bits after she's been gassed by the Red Queen supercomputer, the HAL-like digital guardian of the Hive.

Joined by paramilitary operatives and a gun-toting could-be culprit, Alice uncovers Umbrella Corporation's darkest secrets when its inexplicable T-virus reanimates the populace of the Hive as flesh-eating dastardly zombies. It's a race against the clock now to get out of the Hive alive, and without the slightest scratch from the rogue.

Fans of the video game will love Resident Evil. It really does recapture the video game from the words get-go to game over. Non-fans should probably stay clear. If not for the energized techno soundtrack, flashy visuals or mini-skirts on the lead, I'm sure they'd be looking for the nearest exit sign 10 minutes in.

Director Paul W.S Anderson has done the best job of turning games into films. This was apparent with the monotonous, but highly engaging Mortal Kombat, and Resident Evil, although quite uninspired for the most part, leaves past game-inspired efforts Tomb Raider, Streetfighter, Super Mario Bros, and Double Dragon for dust.

It's got little to offer in the plot department, but Resident Evil keeps things moving swiftly with some enthused action sequences, special effects and creative design. If I were 15 again, I'd swear Resident Evil was the film of the year.

Obviously, I'm quite a bit older, and a tad more rational now. It's nearly 'game over' for this genre, but not before the recently announced Resident Evil 2.

3 out of 5

Resident Evil
Australian release: April 25.
Cast: Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Eric Mabius, James Purefoy, Martin Crewes.
Director: Paul W.S Anderson.
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